


Partners

by Hyarrowen



Category: Robot Series - Isaac Asimov
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:48:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27665657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyarrowen/pseuds/Hyarrowen
Summary: Daneel's humaniform body has been destroyed, but his brain survives and is temporarily placed into another robotic body.The transition is tough.  It's Elijah's turn to provide the comfort.
Relationships: Elijah Baley/R. Daneel Olivaw
Comments: 14
Kudos: 11





	Partners

The murders on Melete had been a simple matter to solve, compared with some of the mysteries that had faced Baley in the past. It hardly warranted the assistance of the two most famous detectives in the Galaxy - but politics, and the necessity for a scapegoat should one be called for, had dictated their presence. In his summing-up, Baley had managed not to make the solution to the puzzle sound insultingly simple. His mind had been elsewhere entirely, and to do them credit, the Meletians had appeared to understand that.

He had hoped to be on his way home by now, to the planet that bore his name, but instead they were going in the opposite direction, to Aurora, and at top speed. The first Jump was over; they were only two days from Aurora now. The race against time was being won, by tiny increments.

He was almost ready for bed, and now he glanced over to where Daneel was sitting, and went to sit across the table from him. The lights of the cabin were turned down low - because Baley had to sleep, like it or not. But even in the dimness, he could see the distress in his friend’s dark figure; the tiny repetitive movements, the graceless posture – the way the clothes sat awkwardly on the gray metallic frame.

The damage to Daneel in the explosion that had all too publicly resolved the conundrum had been extensive. Baley, too far away to do anything about it, had screamed his name, and started to run towards the fireball before the Meletian robots had caught him and wrestled him back. It had taken three of them to hold him without injuring him. 

Then his memory was a jumbled mass of fire streaking across his vision, of heat on his skin, and his own voice saying over and over again, “No, no no, no” before being taken away to a medical facility where he spent an hour staring blankly at the wall opposite the foot of his bed - until finally, the Meletian security chief visited him (a great concession, this) and said, “We can save him. His body is destroyed, but the positronic brain is safe.”

Baley had turned his head aside, but the tears had welled out from under his closed eyelids all the same, and the Meletian had patted his shoulder awkwardly - he would always remember her gruff kindness - before leaving him to process the news in private. And while Baley had gathered his strength for the summing-up, a top Meletian roboticist had prepared a temporary, standard-issue robotic body to house his friend’s positronic brain, and sent a message to Dr Fastolfe to make ready a new humaniform body.

“Daneel? Are you all right?”

In the dim surroundings of the cabin he could quite clearly see the glow of the eyes that Daneel was using now.

“I am well enough, Partner Elijah.” Even his voice was different, though the tone was as level as ever.

Baley peered closely at him. “How bad is it? Tell me!”

“Not good, then.” Daneel somehow managed to instil resignation into that metallic voice. “I would not mention it, had you not asked directly.”

“That’s because I want to know,” Baley pointed out.

“Yes.” A pause. “This body does not fit my brain’s perception of what it should be. It is unresponsive. Clumsy. My control of the limbs is not as fine as it should be. Sometimes I can feel my old limbs, and the reach and control I used to have, but they are no longer there. Sometimes I feel that I have two sets of limbs, and none of them function properly. There are other differences. I tell you this merely so you may understand my distraction. I do not wish to distress you.”

Baley was still more distressed than he could easily remember being. “What can I do to make it better?” His heart ached; they had two more days of this before he could hand Daneel over to his creator – who had asked this favor of him, that he accompany his partner, to cushion the shock that had been sustained. Baley had assented immediately, and fairly run alongside the hover-gurney that took Daneel’s unresponsive new body to the ship. The decontamination procedures had passed him by in a blur – irrelevant, not worthy of his attention. Since then Daneel had been slowly learning to live inside his lumpen prison.

“There is nothing -” continued Daneel.

“Yes, there is, or Dr Fastolfe would not have asked me to go with you. Tell me, Daneel. Second Law!”

There was the minutest sigh from that rigid frame. “It helps me when you are awake. When you can speak to me, and I can respond. But you must sleep. First Law!”

Baley stared into those faintly-glowing red eyes for a moment. Stalemate. He could not force Daneel to contravene First Law, or the damage would very likely be too bad, in Daneel’s fragile state, to be repaired even by Dr Fastolfe. Nor could Baley stay awake for the rest of the flight to Aurora. He growled softly in frustration, and took one of Daneel’s cold, hard hands in his own, and held it against his cheek for a moment before lowering it again. It turned so the fingers could grasp his own, which they did carefully, without their usual ease and confidence. The two of them sat like that for a moment, in silence, looking at each other in mutual misery.

“All right,” said Baley tightly. “I’ve got it. C’m here.” He was past worrying about the fine points of etiquette, about his ever-increasing reluctance to give Daneel direct orders. He stood, raising Daneel with him, and stepped slowly backwards so that Daneel could see where he was going, towards the bunk-bed, sitting down as its edge hit the backs of his knees. Then he lay on his side, and tugged Daneel – cold, stolid, heavy Daneel – down with him. They lay spooned together, Baley still holding onto to one of the robotic hands, and his other arm slotted under Daneel’s neck. 

“Better?” he whispered.

“Yes. This is better.” There was more life in that voice, he was sure.

Baley loosed his grasp just long enough to pull the cover over them both. “I must sleep now, you’re right about that. Wake me if you need me. That’s an order.”

Daneel being Daneel, he would not accept that without a struggle. “You should not have to - “

“Yes, I should,” said Baley, in a gently chiding tone. “We’re _partners,_ or so you keep telling me. Partners take care of each other, don’t they?” 

A pause. Then the cold fingers threaded more closely through Baley’s. “Yes,” he replied slowly. “It is good to be taken care of, sometimes.” 

Baley grunted. “Glad we’ve sorted that out.” He kissed the back of Daneel’s neck softly, curled a little more closely around him, and murmured, “Good night, my partner,” - and his last thought as he fell asleep was that he was almost sure the metallic body was taking on a little more warmth now.


End file.
